Kindle 11 review – Advanced Simplicity

The Kindle 11 is Amazon’s newest version of their well known e-reader, and it features an ultra light design, a new high resolution display, USB C charging and 16GB of storage.

Amazon is working to reduce environmental impacts with the release of the Kindle 11, the device itself has been built with 75% recycled plastics (for the black device – 30% for the denim) and 90% recycled magnesium. Additionally, the accessory covers are made from 99% wood fibre-based materials, and the packaging is manufactured from either sustainably managed forests or recycled materials.

The Kindle 11 is comfortably sized to fit in your hand – with a cover on, the unit measures 11cm wide and 16cm high – and weighing in at under 200g, it’s light enough to hold for hours without discomfort.

The covers do more than just protect your Kindle, they will automatically put the device to sleep when closed and wake it up when you reopen it. The covers are available in Black, Rose, Denim, and Dark Emerald, and are priced at $49.95AUD.

The screen is fantastic – a 300 PPI high resolution, glare-free 15cm display (or 6 inches if you happen to live in the US, Liberia or Myanmar). With such a high PPI the clarity and crispness of the display are so good you could almost forget it’s a screen not a piece of paper. 

You can adjust the front light, switch to dark mode (black background with white text) and you can read easily in any light level – including total darkness. 

The Kindle 11 has 16GB of storage space, twice that of the previous generation Kindle, enough to satisfy even the most avid of bibliophiles, and will fully charge in 4 hours (or even less depending on the voltage of your charger). Amazon state the battery will last up to 6 weeks, they qualify that statement of course: 

“A single charge lasts up to six (6) weeks, based on a half hour of reading per day with wireless off and the light setting at 13. Battery life may vary depending on use.”

but even if you are reading all day every day, the battery will last a good long time.

As to what you can read, the Amazon e-book store has millions of titles available, and Kindle purchases come with a 3 month Kindle Unlimited membership for new service subscribers. A KU subscription is well worth the cost in my opinion – there is an upper limit on the number of books actually downloaded onto your Kindle at one time, but there’s no limit to the number of titles you can borrow.

A KU subscription also gains you access to ‘Amazon Original Stories’ – short fiction and nonfiction titles from a wide range of authors. 

Once you dive headfirst into your selected book, the Kindle 11 has quite a few talents to display. Press and hold on the text to get a dictionary definition of your selected word – swipe left for a Wikipedia entry on your selection, and swipe left again to get a translation option – handy for those stories when characters can dip in and out of another language.

Certain words will also have an “X-Ray” option. This is unique to Kindle, allowing a reader to select a word or phrase and access more information about it. For example, selecting the word “Pensieve” from a Harry Potter novel will allow you to see ‘notable clips’ or ‘all mentions’ of the word within your book. Searching “Snape” will tell you who the character is and give you a visual representation of where the character appears in the book you are reading.

Kindle also has a ‘word wise’ feature which can help readers expand their understanding and vocabulary by explaining the most challenging words in a book. Simply tap on a word to see a definition and similar words.

I had to make a few adjustments when first using the Kindle 11, my previous device was a Kindle Oasis, and the power and charging socket have moved from the top on the Oasis to the bottom on the 11. The Oasis also had two physical buttons which don’t appear on the 11, and I’ve found myself kind of missing them. I personally find it easier to read and turn pages when I have a button to push, not that tapping a screen is difficult, but it’s easier to hold a device one handed and press a button with the edge of your thumb than it is to have to lift your thumb or finger and tap the screen. With no buttons present, I find myself holding the device with one hand and tapping to change the page with the other. 

This really isn’t a big deal though and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed curling up with the Kindle 11 and trying to re-read the entire Harry Potter series before attending a HP themed quiz night in November. Being able to finish one book and then with a few taps be reading the next has been wonderful – not to mention not having to carry around the actual books, since the last few get fairly hefty.

The Kindle might be seen by some as a one trick pony – you can after all read on a smartphone with the kindle app, but having a device dedicated to just reading has its upsides – no interruptions, no alerts or reminders, no ‘i’ll just check…’ moments. You won’t get drawn down any proverbial rabbit holes (unless you’re reading Alice in Wonderland of course) you can simply become immersed in the book you are reading.

The technology of a Kindle is juxtaposed with the simplicity of a Kindle, yet the combination of the two has created something special.

A Kindle is just a book, but at the same time a Kindle is every book, courtesy of the technology which powers it.

The Kindle 11 will retail for $179AUD/$199NZD for the 16GB device, and will be available in Black or Denim colours.

The Kindle 11 is available for pre-order via www.amazon.com.au/kindle, and will be available from select local retailers, including JB Hi-Fi, in early December 2022.